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The Hogar del Niño was recently blessed with a visit from famous fashion designer and active supporter Jeanette Limas.

The highlight of her visit was a motivational speech given to fourth year high school students, which touched upon career goals and pursing one’s passion. Ms. Limas encouraged the young men and women to not only be model citizens and responsible figures in today’s world, but more importantly to recognize the opportunities given to them and use them to help accomplish their dreams. In a Coelho-esque moment that echoed on advice given in the Alchemist, Jeanette talked about the power of passion and ambition:

¨When you decide you want something very badly, that energy builds and helps you to achieve it. Take advantage of the opportunities given to you, and set out to fulfill that dream and that passion that sits deep within you. Focus on your dream. If you don’t, if you make the unconscious decision to not pursue your passion, it can drive you crazy. Decide what you want to be and go be it.¨

Ms. Limas, a fashion designer from La Romana who now resides in New York City and is the Head Design Assistant in Urban Zen by Donna Karan, knew at a very young age she wanted to work in the fashion industry. But things were not always easier for her:¨It’s a struggle. I remember times of little support, knocking on doors only to have them not open for me. Times when I received no recognition, and felt frustrated and lost. But I kept going. You can never give up—if you know what you want and you really want it, go and fight for it.¨

Ms. Limas found out about the Hogar about 3 years ago, at the Fashion Show Dominicana Moda, where the Patronato Benéfico Oriental was one of the benefitting charities of the event.

¨I am from La Romana and knew of the organization, but it wasn’t until speaking with people from the organization at Dominicana Moda that I realized just how much they are doing for the community of La Romana, the scope of their work and how involved they are. At the event, I was invited to a Café de La Leche in Casa de Campo, where I later learned more about the organization. Since then I have been a constant supporter– I don’t have enough good things to say about all the great work they do in La Romana and surrounding communities.’’

The Hogar would like to thank Ms. Limas for her visit, her inspirational words, and her continuous and generous support.

This past August, the Patronato Benefico Oriental (PBO) had the pleasure of celebrating the fourth graduation of high school students from the Hogar del Niño school.

The thirty-one graduates were in charge of the ceremony this year and hosted a happy and unforgettable event where each student had the opportunity to express their emotions through their participation. The ceremony brought joy to all in attendance as the students shared the energy and enthusiasm of one of the most special moments of their lives.

Hosts Isaac Sosa and Luisa María Rivera began with the opening remarks. The event continued with a Presentation of Diplomas and Awards to the students and a class video, presented by student Abigail Santana. Mrs. Margaret Golberg,. Coordinator of the Extracurricular English Program at Hogar del Niño, was this year’s guest speaker, giving words of motivation and inspiration to the graduating class. Awards and certificates were also presented to Hogar del Niño professors on behalf of the students, and a final presentation by honor student Oscar Pinales and a farewell by student Diaris Merecedes Carrión brought the ceremony to a close.

During the ceremony there were many inspirational moments, the most notable being the words of scholar Ketty Alexandra Pérez, who recounted story of her struggles and the obstacles she overcame to become a professional and take advantage of the opportunity the PBO gave her to achieve her goals. Ketty, one of many successful PBO scholars, now holds a medical license in Bionanalysis from Universidad Central del Este (UCE) and works as the head of Bioanalysis at the Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana.

Many young students have benefitted from the Scholarship Program, among them Natasha Silverio Mercedes and Geuri García, who currently attend UCE’s architectural program. These two young professionals also shared their stories before presenting scholarship awards to this year’s graduating class. This year’s scholars were Oscar Solis, Isaac Sosa, Leidy Santana, Diaris Merecedes and Ravel Paniagua, and were presented their awards by Xiomara Menéndez, Phyllis Berney, Ana María Paniagua, Alexandra Avanzini and Ketty A. Peréz.

Our institution firmly believes that all young men and women deserve the opportunity to learn and receive a quality education that allows them to overcome the difficulties of their social status, and strives to create conditions that allow these youth to become healthy professionals in our community.

A gesture of love and solidarity took place when students of the Zona Verde at the Hogar del Niño traveled to Robert Reid Cabral Hospital in Santo Domingo to visit their Youth Cancer Center.

The students put aside their own selves for the day and made the trip to the Center to bring music, arts, and crafts—as well as smiles of joy—to the young patients there. As the Hogar students said, “we came to teach them how to make flowers from recycled newspaper as a gift, and we hope they might be able to make the flowers again themselves and pass on the gift to others in the future.’’

The highlight of the trip was the friendship that developed between the children—the passed the day not only engaged in the projects together, but sharing stories, music, tastes, hobbies and common interests as well, making it an unforgettable experience for everyone involved.

At the end of the day, after sharing a meal of delicious pizza, the children reflected on the experience. It was clear by the big smiles they carried that the certainly had the satisfaction of having shared, given, received, and to have found good friends.

Last month the Patronato Benefico Oriental, along with the Foundation for the Southern Future, celebrated the first graduation of the Literacy Program for Youth and Young Adults. The ceremony was very uplifting and emotional—everyone in attendance was filled with a sense of pride to see men and women, youth and young adults receiving certificates of accreditation as graduates of the program. Completion of the program will also give these graduates the opportunity to participate in programs of continued education, such as in the formal system or technical programs such as those sponsored by the PBO Vocational Workshop, in partnership with INFOTEP.

The Dominican Republic has one of the highest rates of illiteracy in the Caribbean. With an estimated 10-13% of the adult population illiterate, it is significantly above the average of 8.3% among Caribbean and Latin American counties. The problem is severe—the country is far above the average rate of illiteracy. The project Plan Estratégico de Educación Provincial aims to reduce poverty by means of intensive action, participative programs for youth and adults that will gradually eradicate illiteracy in La Romana. The communities benefited by the first cycle of the program were the Hogar del Niño, Municipal District Cumayasa KM 10, Batey Cacata, and Villa Hermosa—including the neighborhoods of San Carlos, Pica Piedra, and Tsuchi, for a total of four hundred and thirty-eight participants.

The four hundred and thirty-eight participants who finished the program received certificates accredited by the Ministry of Adult Education of the Dominican Republic (MINERD), and seventy-three participants were placed in second and third cycle of basic formal adult education.

We hope that in the future these adults can continue their education and that the success of this program continues. Literacy does not only involve letters and knowledge of words and what they imply, but furthermore it offers participants and their communities the opportunity to achieve change in their own lives of their own will, to be men and women capable of integrating graciously into Dominican society and the labor market, to develop critical thinking skills and entrepreneurial skills, and to ultimately provide independent support for their families.